Neil deGrasse Tyson Lists 8 (Free) Books Every Intelligent Person Should Read

Images via Wikimedia Commons

A few years ago, Reddit users I raised a question to Neil Degras Tyson: “Which book should all intelligent people on earth read?”

Below is a list of books provided by astrophysicist, director of the Hayden Planetarium, and science propagators. If possible, I have included a link to the free version of the book.

1.) Bible (E-book) – “To know that it’s easier to know what you can think and believe from others than to think for yourself.”

2.) The world’s systems Isaac Newton (E-book) – “To know that the universe is a known place.”

3.) About the origin of species Charles Darwin (E-book – Audiobook) – “Knowing kinship with all other life on Earth.”

4.) Gulliver’s Trip Jonathan Swift (E-book – Audiobook) – “Among other satirical lessons, most of the time, to learn that humans are Yahoo.”

5.) The age of reason Thomas Payne (E-book – Audiobook) – “Learn how the power of rational thinking is the main source of freedom in the world.”

6.) The wealth of the nation Adam Smith (E-book – Audiobook) – “To learn that capitalism is an economy of greed and is a force of nature in itself.”

7.) The art of war Sun Tsu (E-book – Audiobook) – “To know that killing fellow humans can be nurtured into art.”

8.) prince Machiavelli (E-book – Audiobook) – “For those who are not in power to learn to do everything they can to acquire it, and those who are in power will do everything they can to maintain it.”

Tyson said: “Reading all of the works above will bring in deep insights into most of what drives Western world history.”

He also added some more thoughts to the comments section below.

Thank you for this continued interest in my book suggestions. From some of your reflections, it seems that the intentions of the list were not as clear as I thought. The one-line comment after each book is not a review, but a statement about how the book’s content influenced the behavior of those who shaped the Western world. So, for example, if the actual effect on human behavior is different, then it is not good to say what the Bible means “really.” Again, I appreciate your collective interest. ‑ ndtyson

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